QOTD: "Try to imagine for a moment what would happen if Prime Minister Netanyahu would speak before American students at Columbia University and call on them to rise up and demand that their politicians block any gun control legislation or encourage the students to act determinedly against President Obama's health care law. What an uproar such an act would have caused in the US and the world over – and justifiably so. The prime minister of Israel, the headlines would say, is intervening in the most sensitive issues of American politics.

Obama took off his gloves during his speech in Jerusalem. In front of a captive and adoring audience, he called on young Israelis to wake up, stop being indifferent and take their future into their own hands. He urged them to prod their politicians into action and push them toward achieving peace with the Palestinians while not ignoring the facts related to demographics, security and the occupation. The call was perfectly packaged in thousands of beautiful words that evoked a sense of security and calm in every Israeli – mainly because they were spoken by the president of the United States.

But the truth cannot be ignored: In his speech, Barack Obama encouraged the Israeli public to rebel... Despite the expressions of fondness toward Netanyahu, the American president does not believe the Israeli leader. He does not believe his statements and does not trust his intentions vis-a-vis the Palestinian issue." --Attila Somfalvi